Aquatic Animals

About Aquatic Animals

Whether you’re peering into an ocean, lake, river, or other body of water, you’re bound to find an array of beautiful and diverse aquatic animals. From coral reefs to mucky, slow-moving rivers, these animals in these environments couldn’t be more diverse or amazing.

Your first stop for aquatic animals is Kipp Aquarium. Underwater environments there recreate exotic places, like the ocean reefs of Australia and local environments of the Texas coast. Natural Encounters has several aquatic tanks, housing an ocean reef, jellies, four-eyed fish and a large tank full of piranha with a tunnel kids (and adventurous adults!) can crawl through. Don’t miss our beautiful outdoor aquatic environment at the Reflection Pool, with its many koi fish.

Many of these animals also have important relationships with each other. For example, the clownfish (you might know this animal as “Nemo”) has a symbiotic relationship with the anemone. It lives within the anemone’s tentacles and gets protection, while it eats parasites off the anemone and helps increase water circulation around its tentacles by fanning.

Though you might not believe it, coral is actually a living, breathing thing! A head of coral is made up of many identical animals called polyps. They secrete an exoskeleton, which grows larger and larger and creates a gigantic skeleton. Also, did you know that an octopus is really quite smart? On your next visit to the Zoo, you might even see our giant Pacific octopus open a jar to get his food during a keeper talk.